


A Safer Truth

by red_lasbelin



Series: Muses' Anatomy [1]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: AU, Drama, M/M, Medical Soap Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-07
Updated: 2014-11-07
Packaged: 2018-02-24 10:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2577782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_lasbelin/pseuds/red_lasbelin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A confrontation in the break room, secret revelations and a black eye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Safer Truth

It was one hell of a punch. He could already feel the skin beginning to puff and the blood running to the surface - plastics was his calling, skin one of the instruments of his craft, and he knew without looking that this was going to leave a bad bruise. Shit.

"What the fuck is going on?" Gildor snarled, capturing Erestor's clenched fist. Shock and confusion warred in him, anger rising quick and hot.

His hold was broken instantly and he was shoved against the break room wall. He looked down into Ery's eyes, gone cold and utterly hard. The only response he received was uttered in a low, tight voice, "Don't you get it, you asshole? He's my son - you had sex with my son."

Gildor stopped struggling against Ery, the words slowly filtering in past his well-honed defensive instincts. "...your son?" he repeated. "Who? Mel?"

His head felt thick and sifting through his thoughts was like wading through treacle. Clearly the shock had set in. Finally, information started trickling in: Mel, the new orthopedic resident, hair smelled like oranges, good, enthusiastic kisser once past the shyness – and he really did blush everywhere.

"Yes." Ery radiated tension, his face and body language loud and clear. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gildor noted the revelation was an unwilling one. “Him.”

Ery finally let go of his shoulders, and Gildor leaned against the wall for support and checked the skin around his eye and cheek with careful fingers. He was really going to need some ice on that. "How the hell was I supposed to know? And when were you planning on telling me?"

Erestor glared at him. “Think with your brain instead of your dick for just two seconds. You couldn't tell?"

"No," Gildor said. "That’s the last thing I’d expect. Funnily enough, I'd have thought you’d tell me if you had a kid. Apparently I didn't warrant the head's up."

Ery made a sound of thorough irritation. "It's a long story. It's also not something I'm broadcasting to the world."

Gildor met his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not the world, and you know already how well I can keep a secret." He was watching Ery carefully and saw some of his tension visibly disappeared. Somehow, Ery seemed to have forgotten this in the wake of his parental instincts. Parental instincts - the very thought was strange. "He's a first year resident... how young were you?"

Ery was quiet for a moment, then let out a rough breath. "Too young by half." He walked over to the refrigerator, collected some ice cubes, and wrapped them in a clean dishcloth. He handed it to Gildor. “Sit down and put this on your eye.”

Gildor didn’t thank him, just took the proffered ice and sat down at one of the tables. Ery grabbed two cups and poured coffee into them before sitting down across from him. Silence was interspersed with the sounds of the Styrofoam cups as they drank. Finally, he couldn’t bear the itching curiosity any longer. “What happened?”

“Usual story, I suppose. We were young - protection was a concept, not a reality.” Ery paused as a nurse walked in, oblivious to their conversation. The combined glares of the two doctors sent her backing out the door with a muttered apology.

“That was terrible of us, she probably just needed coffee.”

“She’ll survive,” Ery said briefly. “It is so damn hard to find privacy in this hospital, anyway.”

“Well, we are on the clock, technically…” Gildor pointed out, before asking quietly, “Ery?”

“What?” The look he received was less guarded than before, but still careful.

“What made you two keep him?”

Ery finished his coffee, then shrugged his shoulders. His response was brisk, practicality a thin covering over hurt and old wounds. “It was never up to me. Her parents found out we had sex and I was forbidden to see her again. Shortly after, they moved – I was told because of her dad’s work. I didn’t even know.”

"Well, shit..." Gildor breathed. "That really sucks."

Ery laughed sharply. "Yes, it does. Imagine twenty two years of not knowing you had a child..." He caught himself and considered his words. "Well, this is you. It's entirely possible."

"There might be a few red-headed devils in the world I don't know about, it's true." Gildor grinned. "But - that long? That means you found out..."

"Last year, yes." Ery finished the thought for him. "His mother got in contact with my parents, she wanted to let me know that he had graduated medical school. That was - a shock to say the least, in more ways than one. Afterwards, I called in so many favours to get him here without explaining the family connection that I think I'm right out of them. And then, of course, you had to do something stupid, like getting in his pants," Ery glared at him.

"I didn't know!" Gildor protested.

"Well now that you do know, does that mean you'll leave well enough alone?"

Gildor did not squirm under Ery’s penetrating stare, though it took some effort. He thought of that night, Mel's voice in his ear, the flush in his cheeks, his body under Gildor’s hands, so unbelievably responsive...Somehow he thought admitting he'd have trouble keeping his hands to himself would be a bad idea. He settled for a safer truth.

"I'll do my best."

Ery gave him a considering look. The downside of being best friends, Gildor reflected, was the people closest to you tended to know you too well. "You’d better. Now let's get out of here and let the interns quivering behind the door get their coffee."

“Why? I’m enjoying this nice bit of solitude.” Gildor grinned and stretched leisurely.

“Do what you like, some of us have work to do.” Erestor stood, tossed his cup in the trash and left, the door swinging shut behind him. There was a beat of silence before the door opened again and Erestor shepherded two interns into the break room. “Why do I work with so many idiots?” he muttered, before disappearing again. The interns stood there, frozen in the wake of the whirlwind force that was Erestor.

Gildor laughed and raised a hand, beckoning. "Come along then," he said cheerfully. "It's safe now. The dragon has departed to his lair."

He sat and finished his coffee, watching them talk among themselves. There was a lesson to be learned from this. Erestor knew how to strike terror in the heart of people: he would do well to remember that the next time he was tempted by Mel.

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: The ever lovely Keiliss


End file.
